Author: Domino
Email: zahfat@yahoo.com
Summary: The Scoobies visit LA, and discoveries are made.
A/N: This is set before Cordy becomes a demon. Connor is still a baby. F/G are dating, and Groo hasn’t returned. I’ve messed with the timelines a bit.
Angel looked around the lobby, at the sight of various bodies sprawled out over the seats, and the slowly moving people. It was pretty late, and they had all spent the night exchanging stories.
He saw Spike come down the stairs, after carrying Dawn up, and head for Buffy. Willow was slowly going up with Giles and Xander had Anya in his arms. Wesley and Gunn were already in the rooms they kept at the hotel, and Fred and Lorne, one of the few still wide awake were picking up various odds and ends, empty pizza boxes and junk food containers and throwing them in a large bin bag.
Fred walked past him, standing still in the lobby and smiled at him, before continuing up to her room, leaving the lobby empty except for him and his family. She lay curled up on the sofa, Connor fast asleep in her arms. He allowed himself a small smile at the sight that they presented, and felt a deep contentment within.
Today had been a good day, he thought, standing still, reluctant to move and disturb the picture they made. He talked to Buffy and felt for the first time in years that things would work out fine. The usual feeling that he had after seeing Buffy, the helplessness and anger was gone…he didn’t need it any more, and it seemed that she was getting over it as well.
Even Wesley seemed happier. The old insecurities that arose with the mention of Sunnydale appeared less, and he and Giles spent most of the night trashing the Council, both of them having less than fond memories of the society.
Best of all, he could tell Cordy, once she got over her urge to run, had actually been happy to see the Scoobies. It even looked like she and Buffy were making an effort to be nice to each other, a rather big relief for him. It wasn’t right that the two women he loved the most in the world were at each others throats.
His thoughts moves on and he frowned at the thought of Spike. The vampire had been very much a part of the group, and it was obvious that Dawn, and even Buffy were very attached to him. He didn't hate Spike, despite the torture of a few years ago, and the chip wouldn’t let him hurt anyone, but…he just wasn’t that comfortable with letting have the run of his hotel. He refrained from saying anything yet, he would wait and see.
“Think of the devil,” Angel muttered as Spike headed towards him.
The two vampires stood next to each other, arms folded.
Spike broke the silence, “I love her, you know. And the Nibblet,” he said quietly to his grandsire. Angel turned to him, and looked into his eyes, searching for the truth. There was no sign of the usual smirk, and amusement that laced his expressions. He was serious. “Dru knows,” he added. Spike wasn’t asking for permission – he was just informing.
“Okay,” Angel replied, “I guess we’ll see how she feels about you.”
“That’s it?” Spike asked, shocked. He had been expecting this conversation to go bad.
“What do you want me to say? You already know I will kill you if you hurt her or Dawn.” Angel said to him.
“She can take care of herself, you know,” Spike answered him, “I guess I expected you to be more…”
“More, what?”
“More Angelus. He was always possessive. I guess its reserved for the cheerleader now.”
“I can be reasonable,” Angel said, and ignored Spike’s snort of disbelief, “Besides I know you, Spike…spent decades with you after all…I know that when you love, it consumes you.”
“Its different with her, then it was with Dru,” Spike said.
“Yeah, Buffy is sane.”
“Hey, keep in mind who made Dru crazy,” Spike said, old habits dying hard.
Angel flinched.
“Well, then…” Spike drawled, “Now that’s done with, I’ll go,” he turned to go, and walked towards the steps.
Angel went back to looking at Cordy and Connor.
Spike stopped at base of the stairs, “Need help getting the little one up?” the words came out, before he could stop himself. Angel glanced at him in surprise. He looked at Connor for a second and back at Spike.
An understanding passed.
“Yeah, you can take your nephew up,” he said to Spike.
“Uncle Spike, I like the sound of that. Not sure about the family relationship though, ” Spike said back, smirking, and bent over Cordelia and picked up the little baby, gently.
“Lets try not to confuse my baby,” Angel said, a smirk of his own.
Angel watched him holding Connor for a second. It seemed strangely natural to the blonde vampire, “They are some really bad after him. You’ll come if something happens to me?” he stated, it wasn’t a question.
“Yeah, I’ll come,” Spike returned, and walked up the stairs. Nothing else was needed to say.
Angel leant over his beautiful Seer, and tenderly moved strands of her hair behind her ear, before picking her up. She sighed, and turned and buried her face in his chest. Slowly he walked up the stairs, prolonging the moment of holding her in his arms.
He met Spike in his room, where he placing the child into his crib, and softly covering him up with some blankets. They didn’t say anything to each, and Spike walked to the door, standing there watching as Angel lay Cordelia on his bed, and removed her shoes, before covering her with a blanket.
“She doesn’t know, does she?” Spike questioned.
“No,” Angel didn’t ask what.
“Maybe you should both consider why everyone in AI has a room at the hotel, except her,” Spike said to him. Angel turned to him.
“What do you mean?”
“What happens when she stays over?” Spike asked, “She sleeps here,” he answered his own question.
“So?”
“Wesley, and Gunn have their own rooms.”
“Yeah?”
“She doesn’t get her pick of rooms?” Spike asked. Angel was really dense sometimes.
“Of course she does.”
“And she chose to sleep here,” he said, and watched as understanding cleared on Angel’s face. It was replaced by hope.
“Go to bed, Angel,” Spike said to him, his work here was done.
“Goodnight, William.”
TBC